Need A Dental Implant but Not Enough Bone?

Bone grafting is often closely associated with dental restorations such as bridge work and dental implants.

In the majority of cases, the success of a restoration procedure can hinge on the height, depth, and width of the jawbone at the implant site.

When the jawbone associated with missing teeth shrinks, or has sustained significant damage, the implant(s) cannot be supported on this unstable foundation and bone grafting is usually recommended.

Causes for Jaw Bone Volume Shrinkage

Periodontal Disease – Periodontal disease can affect and permanently damage the jaw bone that supports the teeth. Affected areas progressively worsen until the teeth become unstable.

Tooth Extraction – Studies have shown that patients who have experienced a tooth extraction subsequently lose 40-60% of the bone surrounding the extraction site during the following three years. Loss of bone results in what is called a “bone defect”.

Injuries and Infections – Dental injuries and other physical injuries resulting from a blow to the jaw can cause the bone to recede. Infections can also cause the jaw bone to recede in a similar way.

Bone grafting can repair implant sites with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease or injuries. The bone is either obtained from a tissue bank or your own bone.

Sinus bone grafts are also performed to replace bone in the posterior upper jaw.

Sinus Lift (Graft)

Sinus Lift is a surgical method by which we can increase the amount bone tissue of the upper jaw, above the molars and premolars.

The maxillary sinuses are behind your cheeks and on top of the upper teeth and are like empty rooms that have nothing in them. Some of the roots of the natural upper teeth extend up into the maxillary sinuses. When these upper teeth are removed, there is often just a thin wall of bone separating the maxillary sinus and the mouth. Dental implants need bone to hold them in place. When the sinus wall is very thin, it is impossible to place dental implants in this bone.

To address this problem our dentist enters the sinus from where the upper teeth used to be. The sinus membrane is then lifted upward and donor bone is inserted into the floor of the sinus. After healing, the bone becomes part of the patient’s jaw and dental implants can be inserted and stabilized in this new sinus bone.

If enough bone between the upper jaw ridge and the bottom of the sinus is available to stabilize the implant well, sinus augmentations and implant placement can sometimes be performed as a single procedure. If not enough bone is available, the Sinus Augmentation will have to be performed first, then the graft will have to mature for several months, depending upon the type of graft material used. Once the graft has matured, the implants can be placed.